Discretion from a Critical Perspective

Abstract

Discretion is often discussed in terms of the authority conferred on, or exercised by, actors in context and with varying effects. But what of the drivers of discretionary activity? How does knowledge shape professional work? This chapter draws on an ethnography from the field of mental health, to critically interrogate the normative foundations of discretion. Two aspects of practice are highlighted which generate differentiated knowledge and subsequently shape discretion. Firstly, the generation of ‘bottom-up’ knowledge is presented in contrast to ‘top-down’ mandates. Secondly, the ways in which practitioners may be role rather than profession oriented are discussed, as well as the implications this has for the forms of knowledge used when exercising discretion. These observations of ‘street-level’ practice are contrasted with the dominant narrative of mental health services, in which professional freedom is described as restricted by the prime position of the biomedical model.